The Implications of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction for the Development of Antitrust Law FTC/DOJ Hearings on Competition and Intellectual Property Law and Policy in the Knowledge-Based Economy July 11, 2002 George G. Gordon Dechert

2 The Breadth of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n Arising under jurisdiction o Patent law must create the claim; or o The right to relief must depend on the resolution of a substantial question of patent law n If jurisdiction attaches, it applies to all issues in a case -- not issue specific

3 The Breadth of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n The Federal Circuit may consider antitrust issues in a variety of scenarios o Antitrust counterclaim in patent case o Antitrust claim joined or consolidated with patent claims o Antitrust claim requiring the resolution of a question of patent law continued

4 The Breadth of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n Holmes Group, Inc. v. Vornado Air Circulation Sys. Inc. (2002) o Antitrust issues can no longer be appealed to the Federal Circuit if the sole basis for jurisdiction is found in a counterclaim continued

5 The Breadth of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n Under Federal Circuit law, the court may consider antitrust issues even if no patent issues are appealed or remain in the case o Stipulated dismissal with prejudice may not divest court of jurisdiction o Separating patent claims for trial may not divest court of jurisdiction continued

6 The Breadth of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n Federal Circuit jurisdiction under Christiansons second prong o Claims based on the breach of a license agreement may trigger jurisdiction o State tort claims based on false statements regarding patent rights may trigger jurisdiction continued

7 The Implications of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n Horizon issue: litigation over appeals under Christiansons second prong o Large number of private actions n alleging unlawful patent settlements, sham litigation, fraud on the PTO and unlawful patent listings with the FDA o Do claims require proof of patents scope, validity and/or infringement? continued

8 Federal Circuit Jurisdiction and Congressional Intent n The Federal Circuit was created to achieve uniformity in patent law n The balancing act: o Congress anticipated that the court would consider antitrust issues o Congress expected the court to guard against unwarranted expansion of its jurisdictional reach

9 Federal Circuit Jurisdiction and Congressional Intent n The joinder of a patent claim in a case whose gravamen is antitrust should not be permitted to avail a plaintiff of the jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit … (Senate Report at 19-20) o Trial courts encouraged to separate final decisions on trivial patent claims from substantial antitrust issues continued

10 Federal Circuit Jurisdiction and Congressional Intent n Remaining areas of possible tension, post-Vornado o Jurisdiction triggered by joinder or consolidation of patent claims with antitrust claims o The effect of a stipulated dismissal of patent claims with prejudice continued

11 The Implications of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n The court has considered a relatively large number of appeals involving antitrust issues o Rulings cover issues at the heart of the patent-antitrust interface o Likely to continue even after Vornado n Patent counterclaims have triggered jurisdiction in very few antitrust cases (CSU and Telcomm [7/2/2002]) continued

12 The Implications of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n Effect on the antitrust/patent balance? o The record of antitrust claimants in the Federal Circuit is poor o Good argument that holdings are in the mainstream of antitrust law o Nobelpharma, C.R. Bard upheld verdicts for antitrust claimants continued

13 The Implications of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n Much of the debate has been driven by dicta, not actual results o CSU v. Xerox o Intergraph v. Intel n Federal Circuit dicta has an impact o Townshend v. Rockwell Intl Corp. o Pabst Licensing, GMBH Patent Litig. continued

14 The Implications of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n Uniformity v. diminished opportunity for percolation o Impact of Vornado n Chaos/forum shopping? n Multiple views on how patent laws fit into wider mosaic? n Institutional question: who should decide the balance question? continued

15 The Implications of Federal Circuit Jurisdiction n What is the impact on the Agencies? o Could Federal Circuit be the appellate forum for enforcement actions? n Cases filed in district court v. administrative actions o Regardless of the appellate forum, Federal Circuit precedents are likely to carry weight with some courts continued